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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. spell — magic
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. bore — to drill
  7. march — the month
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. march — music
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a line
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bore — to tire
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. spell — a short time
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. march — the month
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. spell — letters
  21. rush — hurry
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. roll — a list

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com